updated 05:45 pm EDT, Fri October 8, 2010

No public beta expected

Gaikai is reportedly set to launch its streaming game platform by the end of the year, as the private beta is already feature complete. Company head Dave Perry suggests the service will skip past a public beta and move right to a formal introduction, which is expected sometime by mid-December, according to an interview with VG247.

"We're feature complete. You see it running from Dallas (at GDC Online). That's the experience that people are gonna have," Perry said. "So the problem is we have not had the mass market real gamers come and play this. We've had publishers playing, but we haven't had real gamers."

The company is ready to begin announcing additional partner companies for content that will be available at launch. As soon as the announcement is made, additional invites will be sent to expand the private beta program for 60 days ahead of the launch.

Gaikai supports in-browser gameplay, without requiring any separate software installation. The company has already confirmed that certain EA games will be offered, including The Sims, Mass Effect and Medal of Honor. [viagamesindustry.biz (sub. required)]